The Dripping Pan house brass band appear to have added The Great Escape to their repertoire, with good reason, writes Mike Wallis.
Today’s story starts last Saturday, with Watford (men) getting beaten 2-1 at home to Coventry City. Watford (men) sack manager as a result. Watford (men) appoint interim manager. Interim manager of Watford (men) needs an assistant manager and decides the head coach of Watford (women) is the person he wants. Watford (women) now lose head coach ahead of two important matches. Watford (women) lose first of those to the hapless Sheffield United team we saw two weeks ago in midweek.
With Reading picking up points as well as Sheffield United earlier today, a draw would leave both Watford and Lewes needing snookers to stay up and a defeat for either will probably prove terminal for their season. This is the cliché six-pointer. Due to my divided loyalty between Watford and Lewes, I want both teams to win.
The rain bumps kick-off back by 30 minutes but the pitch looks alright once the game starts. Bianca “always scores against Lewes” Baptiste is on the bench for Watford, Graces Riglar and Garrad return for Lewes.
Both teams have early chances, Rossiter for Watford fires a shot just wide and Farrugia turned Claypole’s cross in when one-or-the-other of them was adjudged to be offside. Haines strikes a curling shot which comes back off the post after Whitehouse smashed the ball into a Watford player when trying to clear.
Farrugia has really found some form recently and she broke away from the Watford midfield and sent Claypole clear down the left. Her cross found the sliding no-longer-makeshift striker Grace Riglar who turned the ball home. 1-0.
Watford try to, but can’t get through the Lewes defence. Lewes have the odd half chance but don’t look like scoring again. Watford were especially wasteful from set-pieces: having forced a foul by Hamilton, Haines gently floated a free kick into the Parris end rather than testing Whitehouse. Hand’s cross took an awkward deflection and somehow ended up clipping the bar.
Lewes’s defending of corners hasn’t been great all season, but Watford’s was equally bad throughout. I thought Farrugia’s corner had gone all the way in but from watching the replay Riglar had a near-free header at the far post. 2-0 at half time, exactly the position we were in against both Sheffield United and Reading.
Obviously, Watford need the win as much as Lewes do and have a lot of the ball and put Lewes under a lot of pressure in the second half, with the football being a bit agricultural at times. Baptiste comes on to get her customary goal against Lewes, but doesn’t. Hazard and Hack come on for Lewes to try and prevent the late collapse we’ve all become familiar with. Claypole goes down looking for a penalty, not given. Players kicking lumps out of each other, largely ignored by the referee. Riglar tries to get a hat-trick by shooting from just inside her own half, her shot doesn’t reach the 18-yard box. You just get that feeling that Lewes are going to close the game out comfortably, and…
Watford get a goal back in injury time, Lewes didn’t manage to clear a corner and Gemma Davidson’s shot deflected kindly into the path of Johns to make it 2-1. Davidson was probably Watford’s best player once she came on, causing Carragh Hamilton problems for most of the second half and she created another chance, this time for Palisch, who blasted the ball into the Philcox when she probably had better options around. Watford came forward again and again, but only came close when Baptiste’s cross led to a bit of a scramble ending with yet another Watford corner.
It was less nervy than the 2-1 win over Sheffield United, it was more comfortable than the 2-1 win over Watford earlier in the season, it was obviously better than the 2-1 defeat to Blackburn in the week and Lewes have given themselves a chance of staying up. London City winning again makes this harder, the final game of the season away there is also a must win.
Watford are now six points adrift with five to play (three of which are against the four sides challenging for the title) and surely now gone. Lewes can still catch Reading, London City and maybe Durham too. The great escape might well be on.
Lewes: Whitehouse; Hamilton, Garrad, Godfrey, Heuchan; Farrugia (Blades 90), Olding, Brasero-Carreira (Hazard 61), Hand; Riglar, Claypole (Hack 85).
Goals: Riglar (16, 45+4)
Booked: Hamilton
Watford: Howard, Leon, Lafayette, Fleming (Chandler 88), Meiwald, McLean, Johns, Rossiter (Davidson 71), Head (Baptiste 56), Wilson (Palisch 88), Haines.
Goal: Johns (90)
Booked: Fleming, Haines
POTM: Farrugia
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